The Internal-Gear Hub

I wanted to build a bike with internal-gear hub because I test rode the Swobo Dixon from a nearby bike shop and immediately fall in love with it.  It has the style and geometry of a classic ride and the gear range that will take you to the top of Mt. Himalayas, at least that's what it leads me to believe at first.  However, I don't want to rely too much on my initial impression, so I began googling to see what are the available options, other than the SRAM i-Motion.   After spending some time researching, I found four major manufacturers:

1. Rohloff Speedhub - Most expensive for a reason, of course
2. Shimano Alfine 8 or 11 - Offers a reliable package, yet not too unaffordable
3.  SRAM i-Motion 9 - Direct competitor to the Shimano's offerings
4.  Sturmey Archer XRF8 or S80 - Cheaper alternative to the previous three

The Rohloff Speedhub at $1000+ per hub, let's just I am not that much of a gear-hub enthusiast to invest so much dollars on.  So that leaves me with the other three options.  Shimano Alfine Gruppo is an update to its previous generation, the Shimano Nexus.  From what I've heard, the Nexus and Alfine are very similar with the exception to the additional of centerlock disc brake mount for the Alfine; both offered similar gear ratio, if not the same (see graph below), the size of the hub is just as big, and shifting is exceptionally smooth.

http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/internal-gear-hub-review/

There are a couple of things I liked about the SRAM i-Motion.  It has 340% gear ratio, which is second to Rohloff.   Also, the i-Motion has 9-speed to increase the amount of gear selection for the different type of roads.  Another thing I liked about SRAM is its ISO six-bolt disc mounting standard, which something I wasn't aware at first, but I skip this topic for now and will talk about in another post.  I really wanted this hub, but ending up not getting it mainly because it's still more expensive compared to the Alfine-8 and the Sturmey Archer.

Come to think of it, I've never seen a production bike with a Sturmey Archer 8-speed, so there's no way I can tell you how I feel about them.  From what I've read, (forums, magazine reviews, blogs, online stores, etc.), Sturmey Archer 8 hubs are so so, but not great in terms of its quality and reliability.

And finally, the Shimano Alfine.  It has about the same gear ratio as the Sturmey Archer (~305%), but less than SRAM.  Alfine also has mechanism that prevent internal components from breaking easily.  From what I've read from different forums, shifting mechanism is comparatively smoother than the SRAM i-Motion 9.  I was really struggling to decide if I should get the Alfine or the i-Motion 9.  After browsing and more browsing, I found a fully hand-built wheel for a little more than the hub itself, ($240.99 at the time I bought it from AEBike.com).   Alfine-8 hub itself cost $200+, so a fully custom built wheel should be around $300 not including your own labor; the total cost would be even more if you have someone build it for you.  Again, because of the cost restraint and Shimano's reputation, I went with the Alfine.